Update: Sanchez Will Face Stevenson at UFC 95

The middleweight winner of the first season of Spike TV’s “The
Ultimate Fighter” has signed a bout agreement to face Joe Stevenson
at UFC 95 on Feb. 21 at the O2 Arena in London, according to a
source close to the New Mexico native. Stevenson was expected to
follow suit.

Sanchez, 26, announced his intentions to drop down to the
lightweight division in December and will enter his first fight of
2009 on a two-fight win streak. Sanchez (19-2) submitted David
Bielkheden at UFC 82 last March and stopped gritty American Top
Team standout Luigi
Fioravanti with strikes at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” Finale in
June.

Sanchez’s only two career losses have come in the welterweight
ranks to Josh Koscheck
at UFC 69 in April 2007 and Jon Fitch via
split decision at UFC 76 in September 2007, shortly after he left
lifelong trainer Greg Jackson
in Albuquerque, N. M. Sanchez now trains under Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt Saulo Ribeiro
and Rob Garcia in San Diego.

Stevenson (29-9), who won TUF’s second season at welterweight, has
dropped two of his last three bouts. The former King of the Cage
and Gladiator Challenge champion succumbed to a second-round
rear-naked choke at the hands of lightweight champion B.J. Penn at UFC
80 last January in Newcastle, England, and was submitted with the
same maneuver by Kenny Florian
at UFC 91 in November. The 26-year-old ground fighter has gone 6-3
in the Octagon.

This article was updated at 2:03 p.m. EST on Dec. 20, with
additional information from a source close to Diego Sanchez.